i kno exactly how u feel...i love strategy games like AOE and Civ 3&4 and Sims 2...and Ive gone thru the same thing with not being able to find games that were atleast stable enough to run...XP was my last option and I didnt like having to get a copy of it, but someone on this site directed me to where I can find an OEM copy, which is alot less than a retail version...heres the link